Apparatus for folding flexible articles and the like



April 2, 1940. F. B. CLARK 2,195,716

APPARATUS FOR FOLDING FLEXIBLE ARTICLES AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 15, 1937 :s Sheets-Sheet 1.

] M I Q w I l r" I v VH a t 4 [9 I w 1 J I I (0 F. B. CLARK April 2, 1940.

APPARATUS FOR FOLDING FLEXIBLE ARTICLES AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 15, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Lieder/ c 19. U/ar r- April F. B. CLARK 2,195,716

krmmiws FOR FOLDING FLEXIBLE ARTICLES AND THE LIKE Filed 00 15, 1937 s Sheets-Sheet s HIT mu 5 b I I u l Q I N Q \B I I N I: I I I l' I I: I M II N 1 I I I I I I n I n a 2 LL 1 n 1 l w l I I I l {I l Q Patented Apr. 2, 1946 v 5' UNITED; STATES PATENT OFFlCE APPARATUS FOR FOLDING FLEXIBLE ARTICLES AND THE LIKE Frederic B fllark, Englewood, N. J. Application October 15, 1937, Serial No. 169,292 I I 8 Claims. (01. 270-68) 7 My present invention relates to apparatus or transverse folds maybe single, double, triple, machines adapted for use-particularly, but not etc, and that the longitudinal folding may be exclusively in connection with fiat work ironers, dispensed with, if desired. In the drawings the to receive articles of laundry or the like such as numeral 9 designates the articles to be folded.

towels, napkins, handkerchiefs and to effect fold- The letter F designates generally the frame of 5 ing thereof transversely, and longitudinally, if the folding machine, to one end of which is sedesired, in the same forms as now done by hand. cured a trough, H], as by means of bolts or screws,

The invention provides a relatively simple and ii, or other suitable elements which will permit compact structure operated at a minimum cost, adjustment of the trough to any desired position.

and which is adjustable or adaptable to handle The trough is preferably of the same width as articles of varying lengths and widths. the delivery end of the flat work ironer and the Stated generally, the inventionresides in the lower portion of the trough comprises a curved provision of means to successively feed or adplate or portion 12, on to which the approaching Vance the articles so that their forward edges or ends of the articles are delivered for movement ends will contact an abutment which causes the 'thereagainst along to the abutment orstop i3,

articles to partially fold upon themselves, so that at the end of the trough. It is possible to'eifect a fold is created and received by a driven roller adaptability of the apparatus to articles of dif or between a pair of rollers, as will hereinafter ferent lengths or sizes by inserting removable be pointed out in detail. Successive abutments stops it, of varying widths as will become presand rollers to cause folding in one direction may I ently more apparent. The upper end of the'plate be provided to eflect several folds. A relatively l2 terminates in proximity to roller l5, which is narrow carrier or endless belt to effect folding also substantially the samelengtn as the width in another direction at right angles to the fold of trough ill and delivery end of the'flat work effected by the rollers and abutments may be ironer, and'keyed to shaft l6 driven by pulley The foregoing and other objects and advanl9 driven by reduction gear motor 29. Pulley tages of the invention will be'pointed out in de-,- l! is provided with two grooves, one receiving tail during the course of the following descripbelt i8 and the other belt 2!. The belt 2! drives tion ofthe accompanying drawings in'which"; pulley 22 keyed to shaft 23, to which shaft roller 30 Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine embody- 2:2 is keyed. A belt 25 is trained around pulleys ing the present invention anda fragment of the 122 and 26, keyed to shaft ZLdriving roller 28 end of a flat work ironer. f above roller 24. A fourth belt 29, is trained Fig.- 2 is a top plan view of the machine shown around pulley 26 and pulley 36 on the shaft 3!,

provided. l'l. Belt i8 is trained around pulley I! and pulley 25 in Fig. l. I to which is keyed roller 32 above roller l 5. 35 Fig. 3 is a view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; The rollers 15 and 32 cooperate to complete 5 and the first fold and to pass the article on for the Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are perspective views" of an second folding, although roller, l5 alone may be article showing the diiferent stages of folding; used, and the second pair of rollers dispensed Referring to the drawings in detail, the nuwith. The fold or folds are termed the transl meral l designates generally the delivery end of verse folds; although if the article is delivered the flat work ironer, of any known construction, with its approaching edge constituting the it being understood that the articles to be folded ng the folds thus effected may be r ed are received by and carried along the belt or longitudinal with respect to the article itself as other means, 8, in the direction indicated by distinguished from the folds effected by the the arrows in Fig. l. The folding apparatus'is chine and being described herein as transverse 45 arranged adjacent to the delivery end of the flat and longitudinal relative to the machine. I work ironer to receive the articles successively As u for e p p e of us ation, that. therefrom. the flat work ironer is delivering towels thirty- In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1, six inches in length, the. abutment or stop [3 in 5 provision is made for effecting two transverse trough "I would be so adjustedor spaced with folds, that is, to fold a fiat article once upon relation to the crevise between rollers i5 and 32,1 itself as illustrated in Fig. 4 and then again upon or top of roller l5, that the approximate center itself as shown in Fig. 5, so that it may subseof the towel or article would reach said crevise, quently be folded longitudinally as shown in Fig. or 'top of roller 15, when the approaching end of 6. It will becomeapparent that the number of the towel met abutment 10.. Thus the towel 5 would be folded once upon itself in the condition shown in Fig. 4, after passing between the rollers 55 and 32, or over [5. When the approaching end of the towel or other article meets abutment 13, the towel or article sags or partly folds upon itself so that it is gripped between the rollers 55 and 32 and passed to the next folding operation if such further folding is desired, or on to delivery mechanism of any desired type if no further fold is desired.

In the present application, and in Fig. 1, I have shown means for effecting a second folding of the towel between rollers 24 and 23 in the same manner as the towel or article was originally folded between rollers l5 and and abutment l3. To effect this a second trough 34, similar to trough I0 is arranged beneath roller l5 and between rollers l5 and 2d, and is preferably supported by an adjustable bracket 35 secured to the frame F by any suitable means. When the towel or other article folded once upon itself is deliver-ed over roller i5, the crease or folded edge slides down trough 3 until it strikes abutment 36 at which time the rollers 25 and 28 grip the once folded article at its approximate center and effect a second fold which places the article in the condition shown in Fig. 5, that is in four layers.

If further folding, such as longitudinal folding to place the article in the condition shown in Fig. 6 is desired, I provide a narrow carrier such as an endless belt on to which the article is delivered by rollers 24 and 28. This belt is shown best in Figs. 1 and 2, located centrally and longitudinally of the frame, and is trained around a pulley 31 located between notches 3% in the center of rollers 24 and 28. The notches are furnish-ed to provide for clearance of the bolt as the folded articles pass between rollers 24 and 28. The belt is also trained around a pulley 385, at the outlet or the discharge end of the apparatus, and is supported on a shaft it, journaled between brackets or supports M at opposite sides of the frame. An idler pulley 52 is preferably provided to engage the lower flight of the belt. Pulley 42 is normally urged or forced against the belt to maintain proper tension by any suitable means such as a spring on shaft 43 supporting the frame M on the outer end of which the pulley 42 is journaled.

The belt referred to constitutes a narrow member extending at approximately a right angle from a point adjacent to the position of emergence of the folded flexible sheet article from the pair of coacting rollers. The upper reach of this member moves in direction awayfrom the said position and is adapted to convey the folded article away from the rollers.

I claim:

1. An apparatus of the character described for folding flexible articles, means to receive the articles and to advance them, an abutment for contact by the approaching ends of the articles to retard their advance, a pair of rollers to grip the article as it partially folds upon itself as determined by the location of said abutment relative to said pair of rollers to effect folding and further advancement of the articles and a relatively narrow carrier extending at approximately a right angle to the axes of the said pair of rollers, to receive said articles from said rollers to effect folding transversely to the fold effected by said rollers and abutment.

2.- An apparatus of the character described for folding flexible. articles, means to receive the articles and to advance them, an abutment for contact by the approaching ends of the articles to retard their advance, a pair of rollers to grip the articles as they partially fold upon themselves, a second abutment toretard the partially folded articles, and a second pair of rollers to effect folding and further advancement of the articles and a relatively narrow carrier extending at approximately a right angle to the axes of the second pair of rollers to receive said articles frorn'said second rollers and to effect folding transversely to said first folds.

3. An apparatus of the character described for folding flexible articles, means to receive the articles and to advance them, an abutment for contact by the approaching ends of the articles to retard their advance, a pair, of rollers to grip the article as it partially folds upon itself as determined by the location of said abutment rela tive to said pair of rollers to effect folding and further advancement of the article, and other rollers and intermediate abutments to effect further folding in the manner specified and a rela-- tively narrow conveyor to receive the thus folded articles and efiect further folding thereof transversely to the direction of fold created by said rollers and abutments.

4. A machine for folding a flexible fabric sheet, comprising a chute of width at least approximately equal to that of the sheet to be folded, means for delivering the sheet edgewise to the upper part of the chute, means to stop the move ment of the sheet down the chute before all of the sheet has been delivered thereto, so as to produce buckling of the sheet at a position above the upper part of the chute and in advance of the means for delivering the sheet to the chute, and a pair of coacting-rollers for engaging the buckled portion of the sheet and pressing the buckled portion, to cause folding.

5. A machine for folding a flexible sheet article, comprising means for delivering the article and allowing it to descend edgewise under the influence of gravity, means for initiating a horizontal fold in the article when the forward edge thereof tance; a pair of coasting driven rollers for engaging the fold and passing the folded article therebetween; a narrow member terminating at a location adjacent to the position of emergence of the folded article from the rollers, so as to receive the folded article, the said member extending at approximately a right angle to'the axes of the rollers; and means for moving the folded article, while suspended over. the said member, away from the rollers.

"7. A machine as described in claim 5, the means for moving the folded article away from the rollers including a. driven belt contacting with the folded article.

8. A machine as described inclairn 5, the rollers being provided in the central portion thereof with a notch and the machine including a driven belt extending through the notch for removing the folded article from the said rollers.

FREDERIC B. CLARK.

full

r CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION I ratent' No. 2,19 ;716.- April 2, 19m.

'FREDERIC B. CLARK.

"It is herebfir certified that. error appears in the above numbered patent rqfiiring correction as follows: In the grant, line 15, for Frederic C. v Clark; his heirs" .re'ad Freder1c B. Clark his heirs; and that the said Letters Patent shoiild be raiwith this correction therein that the samemay conform to the record of thecase the. Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this. 9th day of July, A; D. 191:;0. v Y

I How Van Ars dale, (S eal) Acting Commissioner of Patents, 

